Less likely:
Aldo Ciccolini- Erik Satie Gymnopedies
Just a nice little piano album. It’d be one of those albums
that would be nice to listen to before bed. I don’t think I want to spend 15
dollars on something I think would just be pleasant though.
Flaming Lips
Someone needs to tell The Flaming Lips to give it up. Every
year they release something and they always end up in bargain bins eventually.
They’re killing their coolness, something that has sustained them longer than
it should have.
Brian Fallon- Georgia
I’ve been a fan of Gaslight Anthem since high school, and,
sadly, Gaslight has aged like I’ve been listening to them since high school. I
still enjoy their first three albums, but their last two were underwhelming.
When I heard Brian Fallon was releasing a solo album, I didn’t think much of
it. With that said, his new solo stuff doesn’t sound that bad. The songs on
this ep are exclusive, which up their value a bit. This could be a surprisingly
good listen, however, I don’t know if this would be an album I’d listen to more
than once and the ability to re-listen is a must for Record Store Day buys. If
it’s not something you’ll want to listen to in a year, then you just got caught
up in the RSD hype.
Ravi Shankar- In Hollywood
Very influential artist and the proceeds go to a good cause.
I just don’t know how much sitar I’d be able to stand.
Blaze Foley- Duct Tape Messiah
I highly recommend checking out his story. While I do love
Blaze, I can buy this album for 14 dollars and I feel like they’re going to up
the price because it’s on colored vinyl.
Maybe:
Requiem For a Dream Score
This is the first time this lauded score is being pressed on
vinyl. There seems to be a lot of excitement for it on the forums (pushes up
glasses and pulls up pants too much). I may buy it based on the hype.
The Mnms- s/t
I’m not going to lie, I listened to three songs from them
and wasn’t a big fan. I’m not a power pop kind of guy. However, what makes this
release cool is that a majority of these songs have never been heard before
(recorded). There are only 2 or 3 songs from them on youtube. Who knows how
they actually sound. This interests me a lot.
Xiu Xiu- Twin Peaks
I’m not a big fan of Xiu Xiu, and I haven’t watched Twin
Peaks, but the two of them together could be cool. I’m afraid this’ll be one of
those releases that sounds more interesting than it’ll actually be. *just
listened to the first single off of it and the sound is so incredibly dense and
powerful.
The Feelies- Uncovered
I’ve grown to respect The Feelies in the past year. There’s
a frenetic energy to them that is very catchy. I love a good cover song; this
album seems right up my alley. The covers are made of songs from Bob Dylan, The
Doors, Patti Smith, and Neil Young, making it slightly less cool than the Ezra
Furman cover record, which is made up of contemporary artists. This release is
the definition of a “maybe” record.
John Grant- Queen of Denmark
He’s like a ghostly, haunting, HIV positive version of
Father John Misty. Glib comparison aside, the album is fantastic and is out of
print. I regret not seeing him perform at the Pabst a year ago. I don’t feel
like he gets the recognition he deserves in mainstream culture.
Albert Hammond Jr.- Yours to Keep
I LOVED this album when I was in high school. It was that
album that you listened to in high school and felt you really really cool for
knowing it. Everyone liked The Strokes, but, man, I liked Albert Hammond Jr
HIMSELF. I recently relistened to the album and it holds up. The cover of
Postal Blowfish is still a reliable Guided By Voices send up and Hard to Live
(in the City) is still very catchy. I think it depends on how much I spend on
my musts, if I pull the trigger. This is the albums first pressing on vinyl.
2500 copies are too many though, honestly.
Etta James- At Last
Etta James was my grandma’s favorite singer, so there’s a
sentimentality when it comes to it being a maybe. It’s an old record, I can
probably ebay a cheap copy of it. Colored vinyl is nice and it has a few extra
tracks on it. This is the top of the maybe list. Beautiful record.
John Renbourn- The Attic Tapes
Another top of the maybe list. I don’t usually get caught up
in instrumental guitar albums, but his work is amazing. Not only is he
proficient guitar player, his voice fits the grizzled folk scene that I’m
really into right now. 5 extra tracks on an already long album, sounds great.
Monster a Go-go
The coolest cover art! I’m not a big psych fan, and even
less a fan of Japanese music, but I’m still attracted to the release. I hate
how we keep getting so many psych/classic rock releases due to the stigma that
vinyl collectors are a bunch of stoners/hippie idiots.
Cambodian Cassette Archive
Similar to Don’t Think I’ve Forgotten, just more poppy,
which I’m not a huge fan of. It still sounds interesting though.
For Sures:
Rough Guide releases
I love these Rough Guides. They allow listeners to get a
taste of music that they wouldn’t normally check out, especially those that
only follow popular music. Last year, they released psych Bollywood and Mali
and those were really fun (the Mali, specifically). I’m only going to buy one
and I think it’ll be the Samba, even though Rough Guide have too many psych
releases. I already have quite a few blues records. A really cool aspect of
these releases are that they include obscure artists that would normally be
hard to find on vinyl. Huge fan of these.
Wake Up You V.1: The Rise and Fall of Nigerian Rock Music
I’m super excited about this release. Everything about it
just seems so cool to me, from the album art, to the music, to the 100 page
photo book. Is could be my number one.
Don’t Think I’ve Forgotten: Cambodia’s lost Rock and Roll
I’m really into these foreign compilations and, from the
brief listens I’ve had of it, this one sounds fascinating. Another top release
for me.
The Bevis Frond- Miasma
Considered an underground classic, the scuzzy noise psych influenced
many great bands. While I hate the whole stoner psych thing, this record sounds
like something I could chill out to, while being constantly wowed at the same
time. 500 copies on blue vinyl, very attractive for a record that was released
on vinyl once on a limited run.
Ezra Furman- Songs By Others
Ezra Furman is fantastic at covers! He’s covering Beck,
Melanie, Arcade Fire, The Replacements, and LCD Soundsystem. How can I not get
this?!
Radical Face- The Family Tree
Could be pretty pricey. At certain points in time, I thought
about buying each of the releases individually, so why not just buy them all in
a boxset? It comes with a previously unreleased record AND a 65 page coloring
book.
